This year’s BritSciFi event will celebrate the life and work of Gerry Anderson.
The event will take place at the National Space Centre in Leicester over the weekend of the 9th and 10th of March, and a central feature will be ‘Anderson Alley’ – an area dedicated to the genius behind Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and Space:1999.
Malika Andress of the National Space Centre said: “With the sad news in January that our hero and friend, Gerry Anderson, passed away, this event will be dedicated to him and his amazing legacy.”
Thanks to the help of private collectors, prop builders and fans, BritSciFi3 will allow visitors to:
Meet Parker, Penelope and the Angels close up
Blast off with their favourite Thunderbird
See Stingray, Fireball XL5 and FAB1
Explore a full-sized recreation of the Moonbase Control Centre from Space:1999
In memory of Gerry, funds will be raised for the Alzheimer’s Society during the event. Gerry’s son Jamie Anderson will be attending throughout the weekend and will host a panel discussion featuring a number of colleagues of Gerry’s on Saturday 9th.
The upcoming Space Precinct Legacy documentary will premiere at the Prince Charles Cinema, London on March 13th. It promises to be a unique chance for fans to learn more about Gerry Anderson and will be followed by a Q&A session involving composer Crispin Merrell and other members of the cast and crew.
Tickets for the premiere can be booked online here.
The 90-minute documentary includes interviews and never-before-seen behind the scenes material and goes on sale on Blu-Ray DVD from April 1st. It can also be pre-ordered from Amazon.
“I think we honour Gerry Anderson, his epic vision and ambition in Space Precinct Legacy, our upcoming documentary about Gerry Anderson’s Space Precinct,” says Creative Director, Paul Cotrulia. “The Space Precinct crew each tell stories about Gerry Anderson in the documentary, not just about working with him but also about their personal relationships with the man himself.
Hundreds of well-wishers, including family, friends, colleagues and fans attended Gerry Anderson’s funeral on Friday 11th January at Reading Crematorium.
During the Humanist Order of Service, five speakers from very different backgrounds paid tribute to Gerry, painting a multi-faceted picture of his life. Nick Williams, Chairman of Fanderson, spoke of the enduring appeal of Gerry’s shows for his fans, his unstinting passion for innovation in his film-making and the happy working environments he created that enabled his teams to achieve the best results.
From The Daily Mail
Actor and voice artist Shane Rimmer and Broadway Producer John Gore offered professional perspectives of working with Gerry. Shane described the world of wonder and imagination that he created through his shows in the 1960s and ’70s while John spoke about the drive and energy that he still maintained in the later phases of his career which helped to ensure the Thunderbirds stage play was a box office smash hit.
Jamie Anderson, Gerry’s younger son, offered some personal memories of him as a family man that were by turns both moving and funny. Jeremy Hughes, Chief Executive of the Alzheimer’s Society, praised him for the work he performed in the last year of his life alongside Jamie to raise the profile of Alzheimer’s in the national press and generate funds for the charity.
The service ended with “The Thunderbirds March”, performed by the Band of the Royal Marines. It was a fitting and poetic end to the service, with the working replica of FAB 1 that had been parked in front of the crematorium driving off into the distance as the music came to a end.
BBC Newsnight
(courtesy of James Fielding)
The funeral was followed by a reception at the Phyllis Court Club in Henley. A small selection of models and puppets were on display and guests were encouraged to leave their memories of Gerry on a series of specially produced postcards. Two spine-tingling audio-visual acts were provided courtesy of Kindred Productions and Crispin Merrell, composer on Gerry’s final shows (Space Precinct, Lavender Castle and New Captain Scarlet). Crispin, who also recorded a moving piano recital of Stingray’s ‘Aqua Marina’ for the service, played themes from across the Anderson catalogue, including Thunderbirds, Joe 90, UFO, Space:1999 and his own theme from Space Precinct. A teaser for the eagerly awaited Supermarionation documentary was also screened, plus a fond parody of Space:1999.
It was an emotionally-charged day that not only mourned his passing but celebrated his amazing life and legacy. Rest in peace Gerry – your work lives on!
If you have not yet left a tribute to Gerry and wish to do so:
MarlowFM 97.5 will be hosting a live tribute show to Gerry Anderson on Wednesday 9th January, from 12.00-14.00PM, GMT.
Gerry’s son Jamie will be in the studio while veteran voice artist David Graham will be calling into the show to give his memories of the great man.
Rather than a detailed analysis or serious tribute, this will be a fond look at some of Gerry’s TV and film work plus related music. The special programme will form part of the regular Eclectic Light Show, which features something different in each edition. Listeners can hear a live stream of the show by clicking the ‘live’ button on the station’s website, www.marlowfm.co.uk , while those in the Marlow transmission footprint can tune into FM 97.5.
Gerry Anderson’s funeral will take place on Friday 11th January 2013 at 11:30 at Caversham / Reading Crematorium, followed by time to share memories over drinks and food at Phyllis Court, Henley-on-Thames from 12:30-15:30.
Mary and Jamie Anderson are keen that the day is a chance for family, colleagues and fans to share their memories of Gerry and celebrate an extraordinary life. However, space at the crematorium is limited so if you’re planning to attend please let them know via Facebook.
If you don’t have a Facebook account but would like to let Jamie know you’ll be there, please e-mail us and we’ll pass your message on.
You may like to know that Radio Six International will be broadcasting an hour-long tribute to Gerry Anderson on Saturday. The programme will include music from every TV series Gerry worked on from Twizzle to Lavender Castle, except for the Japanese “Firestorm”. Also included will be the unused “Thunderbirds” theme.
The programme – The Tony Currie Show – can be heard online at www.radiosix.com on Saturday at (UK times) Midnight, 10am and 9pm. A number of USA , New Zealand and Singapore affiliates will also transmit the show locally. Details can be found on the Radio Six International website.
Nearly 3,000 people descended on Cosford Flights of Fantasy over the weekend of 24th – 25th November to see an incredible exhibition of Gerry Anderson puppets and memorabilia at the .
Among the many highlights of an amazing model and props display at RAF Museum Cosford were vehicles and sets from Space:1999 and the original Captain Black and Steve Zodiac puppets.
Matt Zimmerman, David Graham and Shane Rimmer were also in attendance, and were interviewed in the Museum’s atmospheric underground theatre by Chris Bentley about their time on Thunderbirds and other aspects of their careers. The trio – fans’ favourites from many past conventions – provided great comic entertainment, showing they have lost none of their ability to perform before an audience.
Effects guru Brian Johnson also appeared as a surprise guest. Brian, who became famous for his work on Thunderbirds and as Head of Special Effects on Space 1999, also spoke about his involvement in two very different cult science fiction films, The Day the Earth Caught Fire and 2001 – A Space Odyssey.
Fanderson ran a sales table over both days of the event, selling new memberships and exclusive merchandise to existing members. Thank you to everyone who came to say hello!
Shane Rimmer, the voice of Thunderbird 1 pilot Scott Tracy, will be a special guest at the Movie Buffs Event at The Royal York Hotel on 2nd December. Shane will be appearing alongside Jeremy Bulloch of Boba Fett fame, from Star Wars.
Movie Buffs Collectors Fairs is a great way for film enthusiasts, collectors and dealers to get together.
On Saturday 13th October 2012 hundreds of people, including several Fanderson members, joined Jamie Anderson and Matt Zimmerman on the Memory Walk in Windsor to raise thousands of pounds for the Alzheimer’s Society.
Gerry Anderson was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease 18 months ago and this summer publicised his support for the Society by encouraging people to take part in a Memory Walk near them. Unfortunately, although he was looking forward to taking part in the walk himself, on the day Gerry wasn’t well enough. Those who made it along, however, were treated to Matt Zimmerman’s Thunderbirds-style countdown that opened the walk.
Matt then made his way round the course with his fellow supporters, including Fanderson members Stephen Billings, Stephen Brown, Geoffrey Ellis, Duncan Moss, Lynn Simpson, Glo Thorogood (with Virgil Tracy, of course!) and Nick Williams. Having raised much needed funds for the Alzheimer’s Society by walking the 10km course round Dorney Lake, Windsor, many decided to forge on with an extra mile in order to get an additional £5 donation from Bupa per person to the Society.
We know that many members still want to help this very worthy cause, and you can do so by donating at Jamie Anderson’s Just Giving page
Over the weekend of 24th – 25th November the RAF Museum in Cosford will be hosting an amazing exhibition of rare puppets and memorabilia from the worlds of Gerry Anderson. For many fans a number of rarely seen puppets – including the original Captain Black – will be the star attractions of the weekend. For others, it will be the appearance of special guests David Graham, Shane Rimmer and Matt Zimmerman. For others it will be a chance to catch up and have a friendly chat with members of the Fanderson Committee!
The event will feature puppets from Thunderbirds, Joe 90, Fireball XL5 and Captain Scarlet, as well as a fascinating range of models, costumes, full-sized vehicles and sets from the classic live action shows Space 1999 and UFO.
The exhibition will be a first for the RAF Museum Cosford and will be taking place in the National Cold War Exhibition alongside a backdrop of aircraft which inspired the look and design of the shows. There will also be a number of trade stands with associated merchandise.
Admission to the display is free and will be open from 10.00 to 16.30.
Shane Rimmer, David Graham and Matt Zimmerman will be attending on the Saturday and will be interviewed in the morning in the museum’s atmospheric bunker-style lecture theatre before participating in a question and answer session in the afternoon. Tickets for both sessions are now on general sale priced £15.00, and include a parking pass and a signed photo of the Thunderbirds puppets at Cosford.
Fanderson will be manning a table at the event and will have a range of merchandise available for members to buy. If you are planning to attend please feel free to stop by and say hello!
This year’s BritSciFi event will celebrate the life and work of Gerry Anderson.
MarlowFM 97.5 will be hosting a live tribute show to Gerry Anderson on Wednesday 9th January, from 12.00-14.00PM, GMT.
